Apparatus for producing surfacing material



Feb. 9, 1937.

P. R. SMITH APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SURFACING MATERIAL 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Jan. 18, 1952 MUSWRKW lIluV QSFWYE E :26 Pawn 2E wziwfii 255 5% M lV/fA/ESS W q sszmthv P. R. SMITH APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SURFACING MATERIAL Original Filed Jan. 18, 1932 Feb. 9, 1937.

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APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SURFAGING MATERIAL Original Filed Jan. 18, 1932 4 Sheets-Shet s Hes/ore f? Sin/7%- Feh 9 193? P. R. SMITH 2,070,300

AiPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SURFACING' MATERIAL Original Filed Jan. 18, 1932 4 sheets sheet 4 2 58 2/ 5151 algal,

5y 11W 47m A/EKS.

Patented Feb. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Preston a. Smith, Rahway, N. 1., assignor, by

mesne assignments,

to Central Commercial Company, a corporation of Illinois Original application January ,8, 1932, Serial No.

Divided and this application Januany 27, 1933, Serial No. 653,824

5 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for producing surfacing material and, more particularly, for producing surfacing material in the form of granules coated with a fused glaze.

Heretofore it has been known to produce granular surfacing material for a variety of uses such, for example, as for use as a surfacing in connection with plastic material, as on walls, as a surfacing material for roofing in the form of shingles or strips formed from bituminously impregnated and coated felt, etc., etc. Such granular surfacing material comprises a base coated with a fused glaze which may or may not be colored. Various materials have been used as the base, though such materials are usually of a refractory nature in order to withstand the temperature necessary for fusing a glaze thereon. Thus, for example, various minerals, rocks, vitrified material, etc., have been used for the base. The'glaze has been formed by the application to the base of a raw glaze or a fritted glaze and firing. Various raw glazes have been used, the components being in solution or in suspension in a 'vehicle enabling their application to the granular base material. However, such usually comprise a flux and a pigment and also includeywhere the base is silica-free, the necessary silica.

Now, it is the object of this invention to provide apparatus for the production of granular surfacing material of the type contemplated by this invention in a simple and economic manner.

The apparatus in accordance with this invention involves as will be more readily understood from the following description and by reference to the accompanying drawings, a novel combination, and at the same, time certain of the elements will be found to involve novel features promoting theefliciency and economy of the apparatu as a whole.

Having indicated in a general way the nature and purpose of this invention, I will proceed to a detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a preferred form of apparatus embodying this invention and adaptable for the carrying out'of the method embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, showing a detail of the kiln shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view showing a detail of the combination shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view showing details of construction of the kiln shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a plan view of an elementof the conveyor shown in Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a plan View showing pallets in position on the element of the conveyor shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an end view of the subject of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a sectional view on line 8, 8, Figure 6.

Figure 9 is a sectional view on line 9, 9, Figure 6.

With reference more particularly to Figure 1, A, A indicate storage tanks for raw glaze, the tanks being connected to a weighing tank D, and. being provided with valves c whereby discharge from the tanks respectively may be controlled. A pipe or conduit e is adapted to connect the weighing tank to a mixer F. G indicates a storage for granular base material, the storage being arranged to discharge through a suitably valved conduit or chute into the mixer F. The mixer F may be, for example, of the barrel type or may be provided with any suitably driven mixing device in order to effect thorough mixing of the glazed granular base material so that the granular base material will be uniformly coated with glaze.

The mixer F may be provided with any suitable form of discharge opening or may be made to tilt as indicated in the drawings. The mixer will discharge into a conduit h by which the glaze coated granular material will be carried to a drier I.

The drier I may be, for example, of cylindrical form and arranged to be rotated, the inlet end of the drier being elevated in order that the material will travel therethrough. The drier may be heated by any suitable means, but desirably will be heated by means of waste heat from the kiln o in which the glaze is fired and which will be hereinafter described. The waste gases from the kiln may be discharged into the drier through a conduit 7' and will pass out of the drier through a suitable flue k.

The dried granular glaze coated material passing from the drier will be picked up by an elevator I, which may, for example, be a bucket elevator, and will be discharged therefrom into a suitable conduit m through which it will pass into a feed hopper n in communication with the kiln 0Q Surrounding three sides of the feed hopper n is a feed hopper p from which bed material will be fed to the kiln ahead of the granular glaze coated material to be fired therein, all as will be more fully described in detail in connection with detailed description of the kiln hereinafter.

The material discharged from the kiln will comprise the fired product; i. e. granular material coated with a fused glaze, and the bed material. The discharged material will be desirably cooled in a cooler Q, which may be of any suitable construction and the cooled material discharged ments.

in which the bed material, which, as has been indicated, will desirably be of larger size than the granular surfacing material produced, will be separated from the product. The product, for example, separated into two or more sizes, will be discharged from the sifter S to storage, while the bed material will be fed back through a suitable conduit t to the bed material hopper p.

With reference, more particularly, to Figures 2-9, the kiln will comprise a combustion chamber u suitably lined with refractory material, into which from opposite sides are let a series of burners v. The burners, adapted to burn a mixture of air and gas, will be supplied with the mixture by virtue of their connection to headers w, w on opposite sides of the furnace. The headers are supplied through one or a series of pipes a: connected with a mixing device y including a Venturi section 2. The mixing device is supplied with air through a pipe I and with gas through a pipe 2. The supply of air and gas through the pipes I and 2 respectively, is controlled by means of a controller 3 into which air is led from a main 4 through a pipe 5 and gas is led from a main 6 through a pipe I. The supply controller, which may be of any suitable construction, is in turn controlled through a thermal control device 8, actuated by a thermopile 9" positioned in the combustion chamber. It will be understood that the supply of air and gas to the burners 12 will be controlled by the temperature in the combustion chamber in order that a proper and substantially uniform temperature may be maintained throughout the firing of the glaze on the granular base material.

The granular base material coated with raw glaze, which, as has been indicated, is fed into the kiln through the feed hopper n, is carried through the kiln beneath the combustion chamber on pallets supported on conveyor elements I2. The conveyor elements I2 travel about and are driven by means of a pair of sprockets I0 positioned adjacent the front of the kiln and the teeth of which engage with rollers II carried by the respective elements I2, which are independent from one another, and which collectively form a conveyor. The conveyor elements are supported in their passage through the kiln by means of tracks I3 on opposite sides of the kiln and upon which the rollers II bear. At the rear or discharge end of the kiln the tracks I3 are curved downwardly and backwardly, as shown at I4. Tracks I6, which are inclined, serve to support the conveyor ele- The tracks I6 also have upwardly and backwardly curved end portions I5 conforming to the curved end portions I4 of the tracks I3, adapted to engage with the rollers I I and support the conveyor elements after the rollers in the travel of the conveyor leave the downwardly and backwardly curved end portions of the tracks I3. The tracks I6 are provided with curved portions I6 which conform to the sprockets I0 and retain the rollers II of the conveyor elements I2 in engagement with the teeth of the sprockets.

As will be observed, the conveyor elements are advanced by the sprockets Ill through being in contact with each other in their travel from the sprockets along the tracks I3 and that they travel by gravity from the downwardly curved end portions Id of the tracks I3 back to the sprockets on the tracks 'I6.' The conveyor elements of the tracks I3 are separated by a'space from those on tracks I6, so that as the conveyor elements successively pass down from the tracks I3 to the tracks l6, they will receive a jar on striking he conveyor element which previously left the tracks I3 to facilitate discharge of the fired granules and bed material.

The elements I2 of the conveyor, which are shown in detail in Figures 5-9, are, for example castings having apertures I'I, having upwardly extending flanges l8 and dependent flanges I9. The rollers II are mounted on pins 20 extending from the dependent flanges I9, while apertured bosses 2| are provided for the entry of pins 22, adapted to maintain the pallets 23 in place as the conveyor elements are reversed for return or repassage through the kiln. The pallets 23 may be castings and are provided with apertures 24, which may be in the form of a herringbone arrangement, for example, as shown in Figure 6. The apertures 24 of the pallets overlie the apertures I! in the conveyor elements. The pallets are provided in their upper surfaces at theirends with grooves for the reception of the ends of pins 22,, which extend into the bosses 2| on the conveyor elements and the pins serve to hold'the pallets down on the conveyor elements. The adjacent edges of the pallets supported on a conveyor element are plain, while their opposite edges are rabbeted so that as the conveyor elements pass along the tracks I3 the pallets of adjacent conveyor elements will partially overlie one another and form a tight joint between the pallets of adjacent conveyor elements. If desired, the side flanges I8 of adjacent conveyor elements may be provided at their ends alternately with triangular wings 25, and corresponding recesses 25'. The triangular wings overlapping into adjacent recesses, when the conveyor elements are, for example, traveling on tracks I3 and the wings as they pull out of the recesses 25 when the conveyor elements successively leave tracks I3 afford a guard for the fired granular material.

Beneath the conveyor elements as they pass beneath the combustion chamber u is positioned a box 26 to which, through a conduit 21, is connected a. suction fan 28, which discharges into conduit 9'. The suction fan draws products of combustion and heat from the combustion chamber down through the raw glaze coated granular material carried by the conve or elements whereby the glaze on the granular material is fired. The waste heat discharged by the fan 28 is, as has been heretofore indicated, discharged into the drier and therein serves the purpose of drying or eliminating the vehicle from the glaze coated on to the granular base.

The conveyor elements are formed on their under side with grooves 29 into which the upper edges of the box 26 extend, the edges of the box being packed with suitable packing material 30 in order to avoid loss of heat. Similarly, at the bottom of the combustion chamber are provided inwardly extending flanges 3| provided with grooves 32 on their under sides, in which the upper portions of the upwardly extending flanges l8 on the conveyor elements run, thus avoiding the loss of heat or air leakage.

The feed hoppers n and p, as more particularly shown in Figures 2 and 3, are positioned adjacent the inlet end of the kiln. The hopper p, as it will be noted from Figure 3, is placed in front of the hopper n and extends along the sides of hopper n so that as the conveyor elements are passed beneath the hopper, they flrst receive a charge of bed material which, as has been indicated, is fed into hopper p. The bed material, except at the edges, is leveled ofi by the lower edge 33 of the front wall of hopper n. The conveyor elements then receive a charge of raw glaze coated material to-be fired, it being noted that since the hopper p extends along the sides of the hopper n, bed material will be fed to the edge portions of the conveyor elements. The raw glaze coated granular material to be fired fed from the hopper n will be leveled off by the edge 36, which is adjustable.

The arrangement of the bed and granular material to be fired will be noted from an inspection of Figure 4, in which the bed material is indicated at 34 and the granular material is indicated at 35.

"The bed material fed at the edges of the conveyor elements during the feeding of the granular ma terial to be fired will extend above the material to be fired and will act to seal, against air leakage, groove 32 in the inwardly extending flange 3| in the combustion chamber-and in which the edges of the flanges I8 of the conveyor elements run.

In the operation of the apparatusin accordance with this invention for the production of granular surfacing material comprising a refractory base having a coating of glaze fused thereon, the modus operandi will be substantially the same with various base materials and raw glazes, including fritted glaze. In proceeding, for example, using sand as a base and as the glaze a solution of 7 pounds iron sulphate, 1 pound potassium dichromate, 10 pounds borax, dissolved in 100 pounds of water, the raw glaze solution will be added to an amount of sand, say 865 pounds, so that the grains of sand will be thoroughly coated or wetted with the glaze solution without, however, the presence of any substantial excess of the solution.

The preparation of the solution may be effected in the tanks A, A and a measured quantity of the glaze solution, in proportion to a measured quan-'- tity of sand, may be effected in the solution weighing tank D from which it will be discharged into the mixer F into which a measured quantity of sand from the supply G will be discharged. The glaze solution and sand are mixed in the mixer F so that the grains of sand are coated with the solution.

The coated grains of sand are then subjected to heat to effect elimination of the vehicle. In the illustrative case, the coated sand may be subjected to a temperature of (say) 165 F. for ellmination of the water from the glaze solution with deposit of the raw glaze as a coating on the sand.

The drying of the coated sand may be effected in the dryer I which, as has been indicated, receives waste heat from the kiln O andinto which the sand coatedwith the glaze solution is discharged from the mixer F as by dumping or tipping the mixer for discharge of the coated sand into the chute or conduitv h by which it is carried into the dryer.

The coated sand having been dried, or in other V words, the vehicle carrying the raw glaze having been evaporated off, the sand with coating of raw glaze is discharged from the dryer and subjected to firing to fuse the raw glaze with the formation of coating of fused glaze on the grains of sand.

The firing of the glaze in the illustrative case will For the firing of the raw glaze coated granules,

they will, after discharge from the dryer, be raised by the elevator land discharged through the conduit 122 into the feed hopper n from which they will be fed onto the pallets '23 on successive conveyor elements l2, which will be continuously advanced into and through the kiln O by means of sprockets Ill which will be suitably driven as by gear 38 mounted on shaft 39 on which the sprockets are mounted.

The feed hopper 1 will be charged with a bed material which may be any suitable refractory material in granular form. The bed material may be, for example, previously prepared and fired granular surfacing material of larger size than the material supplied to hopper n. The bed material ,in hopper 10 will be fed to the pallets 23 ahead of the material fed from hopper n, so

that the material fed from hopper n will be fed onto a bed of previously fed bed material. The bed material will extend over the bottom of the pallets and upwardly at the edges thereof between 1 the body of material fed from hopper 11, .due to the arrangement of the hoppers, as described in connection with Figure 3 and as shown in Figure 4.

Prior to the passage of glaze coated granular material to be fired through the kiln O, the burners 0 will have been lit and the kiln brought up to firing temperature. As the conveyor elements I2 are advanced, carrying the material to be fired through the kiln beneath the combustion chamher, as shown in Figure 4, the suction fan 28 will in the combustion chamber will be automatically I maintained substantially constant by virtue of the control exerc sed through the thermopile positioned in the combustion chamber at a point just above the surface of the granules to be fired.

-It will be understood that a number of thermopiles may be positioned in the kiln at different points throughout its length.

The leaking of air intothe path of the heat from the combustion chamber down through the granules to be fired is avoided by virtue of the extension of the side flanges l8 of the conveyor elements l2 into the slots 32'formed in the flanges 3| extending into the bottom of the combustion chamber, which slots are sealed by the upper extension of the bed material between the body of the granular material to be fired and the flanges l8. Leakage of air into the air-box is avoided by the extension of its edges into grooves 29 formed in the under side of the conveyor elements l2 which are sealed by the members 30.

The conveyor elements bearing'the granules to be fired are, as has been indicated, continuously advanced through the kiln at a rate such that the glaze will be desirably fused to the base granules as the conveyor elements respective'y leave the kiln at the end opposite to that at which the feed hoppers are placed. In the firing of the granules, that is to say their passage through the kiln, they are not substantially agitated, it

' being desirable that the granules be quiescent during the firing, except for their steady advance through the kiln.

When the conveyor elements successively leave the kiln, they fall from the tracks iii to the tracks [6, as clearly shown in Figure 2. As the conveyor elements successively fall from the tracks I3 to the tracks IS, the fired granules and bed material carried on the pallets are discharged from the conveyor elements, and the discharge is facilitated by the fact that the conveyor elements falling from the tracks i3 strike a previously fallen conveyor element which jars loose any material on the pallets tending to stick thereon. The material discharged from the pallets may be caught in a chute and passed into a cooler Q. The fired granules, i. e. the granules the glaze on which has been fused, may be somewhat caked due to slight adherence of the granules together. However, the cake will be found to readily break up, or, in other words, the individual granules will readily separate. On discharge from the cooler which may, as has been indicated, he of any suitable structure, the granwes and bed material will be carried to a sifter, which may be any suitable screening device-for the purpose of separating the newly'fired granules or product from the bed material. As has been indicated, the bed material will be suitably fed back to the hopper p for reuse as bed material in the firing of further glaze coated sand. The newly fired granules may be merely separated from the bed material andv discharged to storage, or they may be separated into sizes in the siiter or screening apparatus and discharged therefrom separately as medium and fine granules.

It will now be observed that, in accordance with this invention, there is provided an apparatus whereby a granular surfacing material of the type contemplated may be produced withfacility and economy. The apparatus, it will be observed, will comprise means for proportioning and admixing the base material and raw glaze, for drying the glaze coated base material or eliminating the vehicle, which carries theglaze, the drying means being associated with a kiln for firing the glaze coated granules on a bed material in such manner that the heat for drying the granules will be supplied from waste heat from the kiln. The kiln will be provided with means for feeding bed material and granules to be fired, and means will be provided for separating the bed material from the fired granules and for feeding back the bed material for reuse. In connection with the kiln, means will be provided for maintaining a substantially uniform temperature, and conveying means will be provided for continuously passing granules to be fired throug the kiln or firing zone.

I have not herein claimed the process described, as such forms the subject matter of application for United States Letters Patent filed by me January 18, 1932, Serial Number 587,378, of which this application is a division.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: I

1. Apparatus for producing granular surfacing material including, in combination, means for coating a granular base material with a glaze, means for drying the coated base material, a kiln, conveyor elements for the support of a mass of coated base material, means for feeding a refractory bed material to said conveyor elements, means for feeding coated base material from said drier on to the bed material on said conveyor elements, means for advancing said conveyor elements through said kiln, means for discharging the bed material and coated base material from said conveyor elements, means for separating the bed material and means for refeeding separated bed material to conveyor elements.

2. Apparatus for producing granular surfacing material including, in combination, means for coating a granular base material with a glaze, means for drying the coated base material, a kiln, conveyor elements for the support of a mass of coated base material, means for advancing said conveyor elements through said kiln, refractory bed material carried by said conveyor elements within the kiln, means for feeding coated base material from said drier to said conveyor elements, means for separating refractory bed material from coated base material on discharge from the kiln and means forfeeding back separated bed material to the conveyor elements.

3. Apparatus for producing granular surfacing material including, in combination, a source of granular material, a source of a glaze composi-- tion, a mixer, means for supplying granular material and glaze composition to the mixer, a drier arranged to receive admixed granular material and glaze composition, a kiln, a conveyor, means for advancing said conveyor through the kiln, a refractory bed material carried by the conveyor in its passage through the kiln, means for feeding granular material and glaze composition from the drier on to the bed material carried by the conveyor, means for advancing said conveyor elements through the kiln, means for separating re-' fractory bed material from granular material on discharge from glazed granular material on discharge from the kiln and means for feeding back separated bed material to the conveyor elements.

4. Apparatus for producing granular surfacingmaterial including, in combination, a source of granular material, a source of a glaze composition, a mixer, means for supplying granular ma terial and glaze composition to the mixer, a drier arranged to receive admixed granular material and glaze composition, a kiln, a conveyor, means for advancing said conveyor through the kiln, a refractory bed material carried by the conveyor in its passage through the kiln, said bed material comprising previously fired admixed granular material and glaze composition, means for feeding granular material and glaze composition from the drier on to the bed material carried by the conveyor, means for advancing said conveyor elements through the kiln, and means for feeding back to the conveyor a portion of the granular material discharged from the kiln.

5. In apparatus for firing granular material in combination with a combustion, chamber a plurality of conveyor elements each comprising an apertured base, flanges extending vertically from adjacent opposite sides of the base, the said flanges extending beyond one end of the base and being recessed complimentary to their extensions adjacent the-other end of the base, a pair of pallets supported on each of said conveyor elements, opposite edges of the pallets of a pair being rabbeted whereby adjacent pallets of adjacent CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,070,300. February 9, 1937.

PRESTON SMITH.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring cornection as follows: In the heading to the printed specification,: line '7, .for filing date "January 8, 1952" read January 18, 1932; and that the said Letters Patent should be "read with this correction therein thatthe samemay conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 16th day of March, A. D. 1937.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

